Typos

I was looking through some old posts and found some typos. Like "admission" instead of "omission." They are embarrassing. My only excuse could be sleep-deprivation, couple with extreme heat and dehydration and boys yanking on my ankles! Well, please forgive me the typos. Thanks!

The Pan Pacific

After Friendship Day and the Shark Saver show, we stayed at the Pan Pacific for a big treat!! Good timing too because two days later, it closed for six months of renovation. Something we have learned in Singapore- even if the place looks beautiful, it has to be refurbished to attract people! We thought it was very nice when we stayed there for our 13th anniversary! That's why we came back to enjoy a special night with our boys. Room service, anyone!? The following day, Papa went to his scuba lesson and the boys and I went to Cirque Mother Africa at the Esplanade. Our first time in the durians!! It was quite an amazing show with great performances and beautiful music. They even performed one of my favourite Johnny Clegg's songs: "I call your name." (not the greatest video but you can hear the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diCyzQSkmyU&feature=related

Breakfast in bed at the Pan Pacific! Frunty could not wait to get into his bathrobe and head down to the pool! He lives life large! After our swim we got ready to check out and good timing too because the clouds started rolling in. The durians below are really the concert hall where we finally saw a concert after almost 3 years in Singapore! What have we been doing!? Math? Well, yes but everything else too! So we finally went and saw a great African show! And since that show have been back with Nonna and Papa for a children's casual concert with piano and the symphony!

We finished our amazing weekend at the Bedok Reservoir, having dinner as the sun set!

Photos from Friendship Day at TPS- April 2012

 Frunty is a whiz at origami and made the samurai hat in about two seconds flat. Pit enjoyed bowling and other games and crafts at each booth. This year we had North America, Thailand, the Philippines and Japan. The school finally bought a Canadian flag so I didn't have to bring my own this year! Progress! And yes, I am wearing a silly hat too but I did not make it!

Happy Friendship Day everyone! We'll come visit sometimes! (I'll still do some volunteer work with the English programme when I can!)

Pit is at the very back, on the right hand side, second in. His class sang, "this is the way we wash our feet, wash our feet, wash our feet..." with Mrs. Ow, their form teacher for P1 Faith. Well done, Pit. You made a lot of hilarious faces! Unfortunately you were kind of blocked so I could not get a good snap shot but I'll never forget. I am so proud of you for participating when I know you "detest" those kind of things!!

Friendship Day at TPS...our last day of school!

I did not know it at the time but Friendship Day in April was our last day at TPS. Looking back, it was a nice chance to celebrate with everyone and to enjoy our new friendships. Frunty helped me at the North American stall. We had games and crafts and good cheer. Pit performed a song with his class in the hall at the end of the day. Then we zipped off to Marina Bay Sands for our shark show! It was a busy day and I think that helped in making the good bye easier. I could feel it in my heart. It was time to say good bye to TPS. Happy Friendship Day!

Our Volunteer Work continues with: Shark Savers

The boys and I have always participated in volunteer work. When they were very small, I took them to the retirement home in Chant d'Oiseau to cheer up the grannies and granpies and to play with the cats and look at the acquarium. Unfortunately, smoking laws were such that we literally got smoked out and no longer visited. Instead we regularly collected nearly new items for a women and children's shelter in our neighbourhood and also asked for donations to prepare and deliver gift baskets to them for Christmas. The boys helped me in many small ways. Their tiny hands sorted toys and picked out some from their own collection to give to those less fortunate. From visiting different schools wherever we travel to bringing suitcases with clothing, books and games for village children and handing out cakes to them on their birthdays, we have always tried to encourage the idea of volunteer work. The boys doggysat too and are interested in helping at the SPCA! We have also done beach and park clean-ups and now that Frunty and Pit are in Scouts, they are very aware of performing their daily good deeds!

In Brussels, we bought Frunty a pair of red running shoes that looked like a pair of sharks on his feet when the fins were in the up position. Proceeds from these shoes went towards shark conservation. When we arrived in Singapore and noticed shark fin soup on different menus, we started boycotting those restaurants and other places around Asia. Pretty soon we became involved with Shark Savers, an organization which brings a voice to the sharks. Recently we performed a play at Marina Bay Sands during the 2012 Dive Expo! We invited some of our Scout friends to participate. It was a wonderful opportunity to help our beloved sharks and to make new friends from around the world, including Singapore. It also brought out a great deal of confidence in both our boys who chose to perform on stage with an audience. It was quite easy for Frunty. We were very impressed with Pit who is at times a bit more reserved. Well done, little guys! We are so proud of you in so many ways! Keep up the good volunteer work!

We performed a skit by children (and two adults) called Treasures of the Sea to show what happens to the ocean when there are no more sharks. The imbalance becomes chaotic as the groupers and other big fish kill the tropical fish. Frunty played a professional scuba diver with underwater camera. Pit played one of the fishermen who took the fins off the sharks. I was a snorkeller and one of our new friends, Nathaniel, was a greedy pirate who soon learned that there is more money to be found in allowing sharks to live than by killing them for shark fin soup. Scuba divers and snorkellers from around the world swim with sharks for fun. It is a win-win for everyone as they bring tourist money to areas and even local people can earn more from driving the boats compared to selling the fins for profit. In this way, we can all enjoy the treasures of the sea!

Happy Easter from Singapore- April 2012

We had a beautiful Easter and I am finally catching up with a new laptop which will allow me to add pictures to our blog! We walked over to the Catholic church near our home and enjoyed a candle light service. We decorated Easter eggs and made a lovely centerpiece. We had to eat those chocolates pretty quickly though before they melted! I was able to find Lindt chocolates and other Germany goodies that remind me of the beautiful table settings my mom always makes. The Easter bunny found us in Singapore and we had a fun hunt! We grilled lamb for dinner as we do not have an oven. It reminded me of the delicious meals that the nonni always make on Robin Drive. I told the boys about maultaschen and they hope to try it one day! Happy Easter!

Our Learning Journey

Our learning journey includes:

*waking up at a decent hour and eating breakfast when we are hungry
*going to the library for new books and taking turns reading aloud to one another
*learning math and Mandarin in a fun way with Melissa
*exploring Singapore as we get to know new homeschoolers who live in different parts
*playing badminton on Tuesdays and not worrying if it goes a bit too late because there is ample time to do homework
*practising Karate more and having fun at Scouts
*having reasonable amounts of homework!
*working at our own pace and optimizing those times when we feel well to study the most and resting when we don't feel well
*enjoying the process because education is not a competition!